Student learning · Grades 3–5 · 40 minutes
Password Power & Secret Keepers
Students rank passwords from weak to strong, build silly-but-strong practice passphrases, and sort tricky moments into keep it secret, share with a trusted grown-up, or tell a grown-up now.
By third grade, many students have school logins, game accounts, or a family tablet code. This lesson gives them three habits to protect those accounts. First, teams line up password cards from weakest to strongest and discover that long, random passphrases beat short passwords full of personal details. Next, they build silly practice passphrases from word cards (never their real ones). Then they become Secret Keepers, sorting tricky moments, including a message that asks for a password and a phone call from a voice that sounds just like a relative, into keep it secret, share only with a trusted grown-up, or tell a grown-up now. They leave with a plan for what to do when an account acts weird.
In this packet
- Handout A: Password Line-Up (cut-apart cards)
- Handout B: Secret Keeper Sort (card sort)
- Handout C: My Password Power Plan (worksheet)
- Facilitator key (last page)
TCEA ELE indicators
- S2.1 I know how to protect my personal information online.
- S2.3 I am aware of the potential risks of sharing content online.
- S4.1 I know how to take responsibility for my own learning.
- AI2.2 I can identify potential ethical issues in AI applications and propose solutions.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/password-power.html
Handout A for Password Power & Secret Keepers
Password Line-Up
Cut apart. Line these up from WEAKEST to STRONGEST. None of these belong to a real person. The backs are the teacher's key.
Sheet 1 of 2
Card 1
password
Card 2
123456
Card 3
Buddy2016 (the name of a dog and the year he was born)
Card 4
B@ddy! (Buddy with a symbol swapped in)
Card 5
MapleHollowTigers (a school's name and team)
Card 6
Emma0412 (a first name and a birthday)
Card 7
sunshine
Card 8
purple-taco-rocket-umbrella
Handout A for Password Power & Secret Keepers
Password Line-Up
Cut apart. Line these up from WEAKEST to STRONGEST. None of these belong to a real person. The backs are the teacher's key.
Sheet 2 of 2
Card 9
pickle trumpet cloud giraffe moon
Card 10
The same strong passphrase used for a game, a school login, AND a video app
Handout B for Password Power & Secret Keepers
Secret Keeper Sort
Read each card. Decide: keep it secret, share only with a trusted grown-up, or tell a grown-up now. Be ready to say why.
Keep it secret
Share only with a trusted grown-up
Tell a grown-up now
Handout B for Password Power & Secret Keepers
Secret Keeper Sort: cards to sort
Cut apart the strips. Sort each one onto the mat and be ready to explain why.
Your best friend says, "Tell me your game password so I can help you beat the next level."
Your mom or dad needs your password to help set up the family tablet.
A pop-up in a game says, "You won 10,000 free coins! Type your password to claim them."
A classmate is standing behind you watching while you type your school password.
You get a message: "This is the Game Help Team. Your account will be deleted today unless you send your password."
Your teacher helps you reset your school login after you forgot it.
A code shows up on your grandma's phone that says "Your sign-in code is 482913," but nobody in your family was trying to sign in.
Someone calls. The voice sounds exactly like your uncle, and he says he's in trouble and needs your family's bank code right now.
A new friend in an online game asks what your password hint question is ("What's your pet's name?").
You see your older cousin's password on a sticky note on the fridge.
Your game account suddenly shows items you didn't buy and messages you didn't send.
Your guardian wants to turn on a two-step check for your account so a code goes to their phone.
Handout C for Password Power & Secret Keepers
My Password Power Plan
PRACTICE ONLY. Never write a real password on this page.
My practice passphrase (four random words from the bag):
Draw a silly picture that helps you remember it.
Two Password Power rules I will use:
My trusted grown-ups for passwords are:
If an account acts weird, my steps are:
If a call or message surprises me or asks for a password or code, I can check by…
Take home: talk with your family about choosing a family safe word to check that a caller is really family. Decide it together. Don't write it here! Family signature when you've talked:
Facilitator only for Password Power & Secret Keepers
Answer key and notes
Handout A: Password Line-Up
- Card 1
- Weakest. It's one of the first things anyone would guess.
- Card 2
- Very weak. Short and a famous pattern.
- Card 3
- Weak. Anyone who knows the family, or sees a photo of Buddy's birthday, could guess it.
- Card 4
- Still weak. Swapping a letter for a symbol is a trick people know about, and it's short.
- Card 5
- Weak. Longer, but it's easy to find out someone's school and team.
- Card 6
- Weak. Names and birthdays are personal information people can find.
- Card 7
- Weak. One common word, easy to guess.
- Card 8
- Strong. Four random words: long, hard to guess, and easy to remember with a silly picture.
- Card 9
- Strongest in this set. Five random words. Long beats short.
- Card 10
- Tricky! A strong password turns weak when it's reused. If one account gets broken into, the others are open too. Every account needs its own.
Handout B: Secret Keeper Sort
| Item | Sort | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your best friend says, "Tell me your game password so I can help you beat the next level." | Keep it secret | Friends, even kind ones, don't need your password. Friendships change, and it's your account. |
| Your mom or dad needs your password to help set up the family tablet. | Share only with a trusted grown-up | The grown-ups who take care of you and your accounts can know it. |
| A pop-up in a game says, "You won 10,000 free coins! Type your password to claim them." | Tell a grown-up now | A real game never needs your password to give you a prize. This is a trick to steal your account. |
| A classmate is standing behind you watching while you type your school password. | Keep it secret | Cover the keyboard or ask them to step back, kindly. Passwords stay private. |
| You get a message: "This is the Game Help Team. Your account will be deleted today unless you send your password." | Tell a grown-up now | Rushing you and asking for a password are scam signals. Real help teams don't ask for passwords. |
| Your teacher helps you reset your school login after you forgot it. | Share only with a trusted grown-up | The grown-ups in charge of school accounts can help, following your school's rules. |
| A code shows up on your grandma's phone that says "Your sign-in code is 482913," but nobody in your family was trying to sign in. | Tell a grown-up now | That second check means someone may be trying to get into the account. Never share the code; tell a grown-up. |
| Someone calls. The voice sounds exactly like your uncle, and he says he's in trouble and needs your family's bank code right now. | Tell a grown-up now | Computer tools can copy voices. Hang up and have a grown-up call your uncle back on the number they already have, or ask for the family safe word. |
| A new friend in an online game asks what your password hint question is ("What's your pet's name?"). | Keep it secret | Hint answers can unlock accounts. They're secrets too. |
| You see your older cousin's password on a sticky note on the fridge. | Keep it secret | Don't use it or share it. You might let your cousin know it's not a safe spot. |
| Your game account suddenly shows items you didn't buy and messages you didn't send. | Tell a grown-up now | Someone else may be using your account. Tell a grown-up fast so you can change the password together. |
| Your guardian wants to turn on a two-step check for your account so a code goes to their phone. | Share only with a trusted grown-up | A second lock managed by a trusted grown-up makes your account much safer. |